Lovie

Sitting Pretty

Legendary Santa

Last Sunday we too Avery to visit the Legendary Santa in Richmond. This is the very same Santa that I saw most of the 17 years I visited. It isn't the same as when Santa was at Miller and Rhodes, and you could eat in the Tea Room and visit Bruce the Spruce, but I am so glad we can carry on this tradition. Lolli and Poppa came along for the trip and braved the hour and a half wait with us, which really wasn't that bad. Avery couldn't have been better. Santa knew her name and asked us how things were in Emporia!

Time Change

A week and a half after the time change we're still struggling at night! Avery fell asleep sitting with me just before her bath. I laid her down on her floor to run her water and she was all smiles. When I turned around to check on her while the water was heating up this is what I found.

Moving Up in the World

A few weeks ago I tried Avery forward facing in her stroller, and it was a big hit. She has always been so alert (nosy) and has become more so since going to the babysitter. Since that worked so well, last weekend I bought her high chair. Now instead of sitting in her bouncer, she can sit up high while I work in the kitchen and while we eat dinner. Our baby days are quickly slipping away!

New Hobby

Trick or Treat!

Avery was a sweet little bee for her first Halloween. Trick or treating fell at her fussy time of the day, but her little bit of fussing was due to the fact that her suit was not made for temperatures in the 70s! This year we just visited family and friends in Ned's parents' neighborhood. We're already looking forward to a fun Halloween in Newsoms next year!

Christening

Avery was christened at Newsoms United Methodist Church when she was 9 weeks old. She was so well behaved during the whole service, probably because she was asleep. Avery wore the same christening gown that her Daddy and Uncle Rob did. After church we went to lunch with the family, and I changed her into one of my outfits from when I was a baby. It was a very special day.

What's That Smell?

Oh...just Sammy.

Grin

No More Cords

It was so great to pick Avery up this morning and not have her attached to a monitor! Dr. Applewhite gave us permission yesterday to discontinue the heart monitor that she's been on since she was three days old. The monitor was a big pain. We couldn't even walk around the house when she fussed without carrying it around too. Although we complained, it is never far from our minds how blessed we are that the monitor was simply a precaution while we waited to find out everything was fine. It was also nice to know it monitored her breathing while she slept...now I'll be checking on her all night! Avery seemed to enjoy waiting for her bottle this morning without the band around her chest and wires coming out of her jammies.

Busy Days

Happy Birthday

Here are a few pictures from Avery's birth. I can't believe it will be three weeks ago tomorrow that she was born. I also can't believe it's taken me three weeks to post these, but it's hard to get computer work done with a baby in your arms!

The Big Arrival

She's here! Avery arrived Thursday, July 23 at 1:37 p.m. She weighed 6 lbs 9 1/2 oz and was 19 1/2 inches long. I woke up with contractions early Thursday morning, and although had just started to dilate when I got to the hospital, I was admitted because my blood pressure was high. After an uncomplicated pregnancy, I became preeclamptic when I went in to labor. I was started on Pitocin to so that I could deliver quickly. I thought I was moving slowly, but poor Ned went to lunch thinking I was dilated between 3-4 cm and had to be called back because I was 8! Thirty minutes later I was pushing, and Avery arrived less than thirty minutes later!

Ned and I were overjoyed with our new baby girl, and so were our families. My blood pressure remained high, so I had to stay on the IV and catheter and eventually started blood pressure medicine. I wasn't allowed out of bed until Friday afteroon, but I still got lots of love from my sweet girl.

We planned to come home Saturday but Avery became jaundiced and had to spend time under the lights. At this time her resting heart rate dropped lower than normal. The pediatrician orded an EKG and told us we would have to see a cardiologist at CHKD. All of her initial tests came back fine, but we were still very worried. We all went home Sunday and Avery was sent home on a heart monitor. We were thankful to have it checking on her, but it's a bit of a challenge to have a baby with wires. We met with the cardiologist at CHKD Tuesday. All of Avery's tests were great and he said her heart rate was not abnormal and that the monitor was unnecessary. Of course he had to put on another monitor for 24 hours just to be sure, which added more wires! We saw the pediatrician today who said we had a very healthy baby and agreed that the monitor was not necessary. He'll wait until the cardiologist gets his information from the 2nd monitor before he discontinues it, but we hope to be wire-free soon! Above all, Ned and I are so blessed to know that we have a healthy and perfect baby girl.

Sorry for such a long post, but there are many of you that I haven't been able to talk to. Thanks to all of you for your prayers and well-wishes. They have meant so much even if you didn't know all we were going through. I'll post some pictures soon...Avery is ready to eat!

39 Weeks

Hi friends. I went to the doctor today for my 39 week check up. Not too much is going on, but she commented alot on how low the baby was. She also said today that she thinks the baby will be bigger than what's been estimated by my measurements. The way I'm carrying her and the fact that she's dropped so low has caused my measurements to be on the small side. They've been estimating around 6lbs so hopefully she still won't be too big! If I make it to my appointment next Tuesday, she said we will talk about planning an induction. She doesn't want me to go too long, and neither do I...Ned was late and arrived at almost 9lbs! Stay tuned...

Getting Ready

Here are a few pictures of Avery's nursery. We love it and hope she will too. We are so blessed to have such generous family and friends who have given Avery so much already. Thanks to you all! And yes, that's our cat Felix on the changing table. He's convinced we've made this room for him.

Waiting Patiently

Hi friends. We hope you will enjoy following the new chapter in our life through our blog. For those of you who have not seen, this is Avery Grace in the 3-D ultrasound way back at 28 weeks. Now, at 37 weeks, we are eagerly awaiting her arrival!